The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation is proud to continue to support the Ko‘olau Pilina Fund in 2025. Now in itʻs fourth year, the fund prioritizes projects specifically tailored to Ko‘olau communities on Oʻahu from Kahuku to Makapuʻu. Read about the first-year Pilina Fund pilot.
The purpose of the Koʻolau Pilina Fund (the fund) is to build community resilience in the Koʻolau region and follows a participatory approach to grantmaking in which a committee made up of Ko‘olau community members will vet proposals through an open, rolling application process. The committee hopes to help derisk new ideas, scale promising ideas, help to build capacity in the region and progress grassroots community efforts.
Application submissions are now being accepted for 2025.
PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS
The fund prioritizes projects tailored to Koʻolau communities and proposals must:
- Show alignment to Pilina Fund Values and Priorities;
- Come from or are sponsored by an organization with IRS 501 (c)(3) tax exempt status;
- Request between $3,000 and $15,000;
- Be for future events and projects (funds cannot be used to reimburse previous work done);
- Not duplicate program grants by the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation.
FUNDING PRIORITIES
The Pilina Fund Committee will prioritize projects that create more opportunities for:
- Strong ʻohana & safe, supportive, prepared and resilient communities
- Increased access to ʻāina and farming & improving food security in the region
- Improving health and wellbeing
- Community-based education and learning
Please note that only one application per organization per grant application period will be reviewed by the committee to allow for as many organizations to be considered for a grant during each review process.
| Proposal Due Date | Grant Announcement |
| March 14, 2025 | April 1, 2025 |
| April 30, 2025 | June 3, 2025 |
| June 30, 2025 | August 5, 2025 |
| August 31, 2025 | October 7, 2025 |
| October 31, 2025 | December 2, 2025 |
Please refer to the Request For Proposals (RFP) for the full details of the fund and application details. Applications may submitted via email or via the online application once we are once again accepting them. Contact the team at pilinafund@gmail.com for any questions.
PILINA FUND VALUES
Pilina: We believe in building long-term community well-being by strengthening the positive connections between people and place. We hope to invest in pilina through projects that embrace collaboration and partnershipin the pursuit of long-term resiliency.
Pono: As much as possible, we desire to be pono and strive for balance across the Koʻolau region. Our goal is to spread funding equitably, while also working to ensure the funding is reaching projects that best represent the purposes of the fund.
Ola Ka ʻĀina, Ola Ke Kanaka: It is important that these funds support both healthy people and healthy lands. If our land thrives, so do we as a Koʻolau community.
Aloha Koʻolau: All projects must be community-led and specific to the unique needs of our Koʻolau communities. The fund will support projects that understand the unique needs of our neighbors and find creative solutions to meet these needs. Especially important are projects that demonstrate collaboration among Koʻolau-based organizations or entities.